Initiative Items

September 10, 2004
SEJ opposes rider with new FOIA exemption for satellite data and studies on Earth resources

The Society of Environmental Journalists joined other journalism groups September 10, 2004, urging Congressional leaders to strip a new FOIA exemption for certain satellite data on the Earth's resources from the 2005 Defense Authorization Bill (S 2400).

SEJ joined a number of open-government groups in urging President Bush to post online full copies of all contracts and other paperwork authorizing spending for relief and recovery efforts following Hurricane Katrina.

SEJ wrote the director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences today, asking him to abandon plans to downgrade and privatize its flagship, open-access journal, Environmental Health Perspectives. The magazine is renowned for publishing free online cutting-edge research on relevant and timely topics — in non-technical terms and in multiple languages.